Growth and structure of PbVO3 thin films

Multifunctional materials promise to provide the foundation for a new class of devices in which functional properties are coupled to one another. Examples include magnetoelectric materials in which magnetic and ferroelectric properties are coupled. Here the authors report the successful growth of single phase, fully epitaxial thin films of the multifunctional material, PbVO3, using pulsed laser deposition. This growth offers an alternative means for the production of PbVO3 outside of high-temperature and high-pressure techniques through growth of epitaxial thin films on various substrates. The structure of this highly distorted perovskite is examined using x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.